Marathon for Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants!

Hi! On November 26th, I am running a marathon to raise money to provide aid to Venezuelan refugees and migrants. Over the past few months, I've been working with an incredible organization, On the Ground International, helping to provide food, water, shelter, and first aid to Venezuelans in the Venezuela-Colombia border region. The Venezuela humanitarian crisis is one of the largest migration crises in the world, yet there are still many basic needs that are not being met. For context, since 2014, 7 million people have left Venezuela due to economic instability and a corrupt dictatorship; this level of displacement is outnumbered only by that of Syria and Ukraine. Today, people continue to walk hundreds of miles, sometimes thousands, in search of a better, safer, and more stable future.

While working in the border region, I've met truly wonderful people who have been forced to confront the arduous reality of migration, alongside many other phenomenal people working days on end to assist those in need. This marathon is for them.

Specifically, I am raising money to provide emergency blankets and winter clothes to people traveling through the Colombian ‘paramo.' The paramo is arguably the most dangerous part of the migrant route. Its highest point is 13,000ft (4,500m) of elevation and many people travel with very little belongings, oftentimes making the journey in shorts and a t-shirt.

This map details the mountain range that refugees and migrants must pass through from the border in Cúcuta to Bucaramanga, where the highway forks to Medellín or Bogotá. In the mountains, the cold and altitude threaten even the healthiest of Venezuelan caminantes who are underprepared for such extreme circumstances. As winter approaches, people are in even more need of emergency blankets, jackets, hats, and socks to survive the cold.

All donations collected will go directly towards purchasing emergency blankets and winter clothing for Venezuelan refugees and migrants who must walk through the paramo. If you would like to contribute, even $5 will go a long way. Thank you in advance for your donation; I and many others are incredibly grateful.

To those of whom I have shared such beautiful moments with along the border, talking, dancing, crying, and singing, thank you. Oh, how I have learned that laughter and love in the face of a trying world are the epitome of strength.

And for those who have walked many marathons, I run this now for you.

Here are more of my favorite photos:

Two siblings ages 7 and 4 holding hands as they walk towards Bogotá.

A mother and her baby walking to the shelter in Pamplona.

Me and a dear caminante friend on our way up into the Colombian 'paramo.'